How walkable is Athens?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Athens has a walkability score of 94 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the more walkable of the 2 cities ranked in Greece.
What's within walking distance of the centre
6,240 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Athens. The nearest grocery is about 2 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Victory, 4 min
- Soya Athens, 4 min
Restaurants & bars
- Fotini's Deli, 1 min
- Milk Bar Athens, 1 min
Shopping
- Kedima, 1 min
- Hercules Shop, 1 min
Coffee
- Plakaki Cafe, 1 min
- Plaka cute place, 1 min
Banks
- Alpha Bank, 2 min
- Τράπεζα Πειραιώς (Piraeus Bank), 8 min
Parks
- Εθνικός Κήπος, 6 min
- Πάρκο Βουλιαγμένης & Καρέα, 11 min
Schools
- 3ο λύκειο Π.Φαληρου, 3 min
- 5ο & 6ο Δημοτικό Σχολείο Ζωγράφου, 3 min
Books & libraries
- Philokalia, 5 min
- Ανάβαση, 6 min
Culture & entertainment
- Αμφιθέατρο Σπύρου Ευαγγελάτου, 1 min
- Cine Paris, 1 min
Measured from the centre at 37.9721, 23.7307, the point near Athens's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 227 street intersections per km², and blocks average 58 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Athens's score of 94 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 100 within 1 km of the centre, 98 from 1 to 3 km out and 92 from 3 to 5 km out. 96% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability holds up well across the city.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Athens. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 100 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 100 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 98 | 100% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 92 | 92% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Karşıyaka, Turkey | 301 km | 83 |
| İzmir, Turkey | 302 km | 91 |
| Thessaloniki, Greece | 304 km | 82 |
| Bornova, Turkey | 312 km | 78 |
| Denizli, Turkey | 472 km | 74 |
Questions about walking in Athens
Is Athens a walkable city?
Yes. Athens has a walkability score of 94 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. Its centre scores 100. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 1st of 2 cities in Greece and joint 7th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Greece?
Athens is the most walkable of the 2 cities ranked in Greece, with a score of 94. Thessaloniki is next, with 82.
How does Athens compare with nearby cities?
Athens is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 94, against Karşıyaka (83, 301 km away), İzmir (91, 302 km away) and Thessaloniki (82, 304 km away).
Which part of Athens is most walkable?
Athens's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 100. Walkability averages 100 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north (averaging 99) and falls most to the east (84).
How is Athens's walkability score calculated?
For Athens it is the average of 89 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 85 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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